Rolf Maximilian Sievert (; 6 May 1896 – 3 October 1966) was a Swedish medical physicist whose major contribution was in the study of the biological effects of ionizing radiation.
The sievert (Sv), the SI unit representing the stochastic health risk of ionizing radiation, is named for him. He has been called the "Father of Radiation Protection".
Biography
Sievert was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents were Max Sievert and Sofia Carolina Sievert, née Panchéen. In 1881, his father founded the Max Sievert Company in Stockholm.
Sievert invented a number of instruments for measuring radiation doses, the most widely known being the Sievert chamber.
Legacy
In 1979, at the Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (General Conference on Weights and Measures or CGPM), the SI unit for ionizing radiation dose equivalent was named after him and given the name sievert (Sv).
Sievert had an extensive insect collection and his specimens can be found in the Entomological Museum of Lund University in Sweden.
thumb|upright=1.4|Sievert in 1924
See also
- Sievert integral
- Sievert chamber
- Rolf M. Sievert Award
References
External links
- Rolf Sievert, the man and the unit
- Rolf Maximilian Sievert (1896–1966): father of radiation protection